And then suddenly it was there: The technical test was just running to find out a few errors and a few days later Hades 2 is already available. In early access, of course. But the time between troubleshooting and release is also likely to be so short because developer Supergiant Games has once again worked with great care and will deliver a strong successor, both technically and playfully. I'm already committed to that.
Just how elegantly you whirl through Greek mythology in Hades 2, not only swinging powerful weapons, but also casting powerful spells in slow motion to bind the creatures of the underworld to one spot or massively weaken them – from the first second This sequel has more momentum towards the finale than most games.
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In fact, unlike other roguelikes, you immediately feel very powerful because you're dealing hard right from the start and cool skills are quickly added. You know how it is: you empty a room of enemies, then choose one of three expanded abilities or amplifiers and then have the choice as to which path the journey should continue on.
Crisp fights, constant character development and the occasional shop or special event for the sake of variety and because Supergiant also tells an entertaining story: Hades 2 manages this motivating rhythm almost perfectly. And it still looks fantastic! I definitely fall in love with the style of this animated comic, in which colorful light creates sparkling accents.
Compared to its predecessor, Supergiant has gone a step further in all of this. Its DNA remains clearly visible in every corner. After all, it is a direct sequel in which his younger sister Melinoë takes the lead role instead of Zagreus. The witch and daughter of Hades seeks her way through the underworld to take revenge on Chronus.
You learn the background in short dialogues with some well-known, some new gods as well as other creatures with which Melinoë converses, many of which serve as interaction points to obtain improved abilities or items that make the campaign of revenge easier. Most of it takes place between the almost always fatal excursions, in Melinoë's temporary home, where the central character development also takes place.
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This has been expanded to include various nuances. Among other things, you unlock new skills bit by bit, but each of them requires a certain amount of arcane knowledge in order to be able to use it. And Melinoë's knowledge is initially limited before it is gradually increased.
Both to “buy” skills and to increase her knowledge, she needs resources, which can of course be found in the underworld. Thanks to the appropriately marked paths, you can always see which resource is waiting in the next room. Of course, that’s also stimulating. It's not for nothing that numerous roguelikes have long since copied this trick.
Especially since skills and knowledge are not the only things that require a specific resource. Unlocking weapons and expanding the possible rooms and encounters during a run also require materials – and some of them are not part of the rewards after each battle, but lie at the edge of the path. Melinoë therefore has to decide before every trip whether she will take a pickaxe, shovel or fishing rod with her, i.e. which resource she wants to mine for which step in her character development.
This gives it a little more depth without getting complicated. In general, Supergiant does a damn good job of designing each run as well as the open global character development, without ever distracting from the fact that Hades 2 is all about the fast-paced action. At the latest when the singing that has been gently echoing through the rooms throughout the level becomes a thunderous rock number in the boss fight, my levels no longer need coffee!
Hades 2 was initially released in Early Access, namely both on Steam and the Epic Games Store. While the game currently costs just under 29 euros each, the developers reserve the right to increase the price later.
- Epic Games Store
- Steam
And when I wrote at the beginning that you quickly feel strong: Yes, that's true. But the opponents are too! Not only do many of them give Melinoë a lot of trouble, you also have to look at them very carefully in order to find a remedy against their individual attack patterns. If they show up alone, this is rarely a problem. Some motley crews cost me more Neven than I would have liked. Don't even get me started on the bosses.
Or rather, I'll start doing it again and again and again because it's a pleasure to throw yourself into this fight with the witch. In addition to pretty much everything that her brother can do, she can also do a dash, which, depending on the expansion, reflects projectiles, fogs nearby creatures or otherwise harms them. This gives movement a slightly more important role, which I really like.
Aside from that, casting spells is different than with Zagreus, because this time it's not just a kind of powerful shot, but a circular field with area damage, which you can strengthen in such a cool way that I sometimes only fought with it.
If it's significantly smaller, but does triple the damage so that almost all enemies burst after the first use, that feels great. In one of my first runs, however, I received a version that I could move after it was triggered, so that Melinoë could act almost exclusively from a distance like an all-powerful magician – great!
In combination with the equally versatile main weapons and their special attacks, there are a number of options and in just over six hours I haven't experienced one that I didn't like at all. By the way, if you hold down the respective action button, you carry out a particularly strong version of each attack – and even the way in which you use or restore the necessary magical energy contributes a lot to individualization.
Or to put it another way: If you have even the slightest interest in furious action, roguelikes or even its predecessor, then you can put Hades 2 on your shopping list. This should appear again on consoles after early access on Steam and the Epic Games Store has ended.
According to Supergiant, this will take until at least the end of 2024. But you can expect one of the best games of its kind afterwards. Although: If you ask me, that already applies to the early access version, even though it doesn't contain all the content yet. Which is why I'm really looking forward to watching Melinoë's adventures continue to grow in the coming weeks and months!